US President Donald Trump issued a warning on Tuesday to the Iran-backed Houthi rebels amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. Speaking during a White House meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Trump stated that the United States would respond decisively if the Houthis proceed with their threatened blockade of Saudi ports. “If something like that happens, we take care of it,” Trump said, referencing previous US actions against the group that appeared to have silenced them temporarily.
Trump also signaled that the United States was maintaining pressure on Iran, indicating that military action against an underground nuclear site near Natanz, known as Pickaxe Mountain, could be imminent. The site is suspected by Western intelligence agencies of housing an undeclared uranium enrichment facility. “We’ll be hitting that area pretty soon, and very heavily,” Trump said, adding that although such targets are typically not disclosed in advance, “there’s not a thing they can do about it.” He further asserted that a US withdrawal from the region was not under consideration, projecting that Iran would require two decades or more to recover if the US were to leave now.
The tensions unfolded as Saudi Arabia condemned the Houthis, whom it labeled a “terrorist militia,” for threatening regional security. Riyadh reaffirmed its support for Yemen’s internationally recognized government and its people. In response to the threat, two Saudi crude oil tankers bound for Asia reversed course in the Red Sea. According to shipping data, the vessels, carrying oil destined for China and India and recently loaded, were rerouted toward the Suez Canal, illustrating the disruption of critical maritime energy routes amid rising hostilities.
Meanwhile, the security situation deteriorated further as US strikes targeted locations in southern and western Iran overnight. Tehran retaliated by directing attacks at US positions in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan. Additionally, at least one oil tanker was reportedly struck in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz. These exchanges have largely undermined a fragile interim peace agreement reached last month.
In a related diplomatic development, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called for restraint from all conflicting parties during a meeting with Iran’s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni. Sharif urged all sides to avoid actions that could worsen instability in the region and pledged Pakistan’s continued role as a mediator.
Despite the escalating conflict and tanker diversions, Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea port of Yanbu reportedly remained operational on Tuesday, according to sources familiar with the situation.